Search Results: how to handle rejection

This comes from another post www.girlsaskguys.com/.../q1361543-what-to-do-when-a-creepy-guy-approaches

I hear all the time here, "I'm shy, no one ever talks to me, etc." It is extremely difficult for a man to approach a woman, in this situation we are talking about a 22 year old woman and we'll say a 45ish man. Both are within dating age, and yes he's probably a little old for her, and she handled it well.

But it would have been safer for him to not speak to her in the first place, he experienced rejection here. One of the comments was "that's why I don't speak to strange women" And there is nothing wrong with that either. But we can't have it both ways, you cannot expect only compatible people to approach you. If you are approachable people will talk to you, if you are not people, usually, won't.

I read another article in a running mag from the perspective of a young woman who had an older man ask her if she needed help with the controls of her treadmill. She rudely blew him off only to realize she actually knew him, but didn't recognize him (he was the father of her friend and was just trying to help)

I understand that age has a factor in both of these stories, but women blow off men all the time regardless of age.

So the question stands should guys speak to women they do not know?